UN to investigate alleged chemical attack in Syria - Ban Ki-moon

Woman and a girl rest on a mattress at a hospital in the Khan al-Assal region in the northern Aleppo province, as Syria's government accused rebel forces of using chemical weapons for the first time on March 19, 2013 (AFP Photo / HO-SANA)

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria’s Aleppo will start as soon as possible. Official Damascus and the rebels are trading the blame for allegedly using a missile with chemical damage agent on Tuesday.

The statement made by the UN secretary-general became a response
to the official request made by Syrian authorities on Wednesday to
appoint an independent mission to investigate the March 19 chemical attack on the outskirts of Aleppo that
claimed lives of at least 25 people.

"I have decided to conduct a United Nations investigation
into the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria," Ban
Ki-moon told reporters, specifying that the investigation will
focus on the Aleppo attack, "the specific incident brought to my
attention by the Syrian government."

The UN investigators will cooperate with experts with the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the
World Health Organization (WHO).

"I am of course aware that there are other allegations of
similar cases involving the reported use of chemical weapons,"
Ban acknowledged.

The UN decision to investigate the Aleppo chemical attack as a
single case contradicts the position of Britain and France, which
followed the claims of the Syrian opposition saying that there were
two chemical weapons attacks, one in Aleppo and another in
Damascus, demanding that both be investigated
simultaneously.

According to Churkin, Moscow hopes that the US and France are
not going to protract or hamper the UN investigation into the
Aleppo chemical attack in Syria.

“I expressed hope that their initiatives are not attempts to
postpone, hamper or prevent the investigation into what happened on
March 19, because this issue needs urgent attention,” Churkin
said.

British Deputy Ambassador Philip Parham openly questioned the
credibility of the Syrian authorities.

"It is the Syrian regime which has stockpiles of chemical
weapons and material in Syria," he said.

"It is worth just remembering how many distortions and
falsehoods we have been hearing from the Syrian regime over the
last two years."

Churkin questioned the allegations about a second attack in
Damascus, saying that “instead of launching those propaganda
balloons I think it's much better to get our focus right."

"As far as I know there is only one allegation of the use of
chemical weapons ... there have been no other allegations,” he
said.

Meanwhile, Russia is ready to send experts to Syria to help
investigation of the incident, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced
on Thursday.

On Wednesday, both Syrian government and rebel forces called for
an international investigation into the incident. Damascus claimed
rebels fired a rocket filled with chemical gas, while the
opposition denies the accusations, pointing at Assad’s forces.

Shortly after the strike, locals complained about a strong smell
of chlorine near the epicenter, many reported breathing
difficulties.

Those supporting Damascus say the area struck by the rocket was
under government control and hosts a government forces military
base, which has been under rebel attacks for weeks.

The international reaction to the incident was mixed, with most
countries saying the nature of the attack needs to be thoroughly
investigated.

Britain, however, went beyond words, reportedly preparing package of chemical weapons
detection and protection kits for Syria. The shipment was made
possible after the EU recently reviewed the arms embargo to Syria
and allowed supply of non-lethal support for the protection of
civilians.

Moscow expressed concerns on Thursday that Syrian opposition is
determined to attain international interference in the Syrian
conflict.

“The opposition has set a goal to attain direct foreign
interference into the conflict. This is very concerning,” said
Aleksandr Lukashevich, spokesman for Russia’s Foreign
Ministry.

The military conflict in Syria has been unfolding for over two
years now. So far internal and international peace keeping efforts
have not succeeded. According to the UN, the death toll from the
conflict reached 70,000 by the end of the second year of the
popular uprising.